Love You Better
by bladgleyluvr09
Summary: Based off of Fck You Better by Neon Hitch. An AU fic, where Caleb and Miranda are dating, but Caleb and Hanna used to hook up.
1. Chapter 1

"I really don't even get why you're still with her," Hanna says cautiously, cupping the back of her head with her palm and gently fiddling with a few strands of her hair. It's nearing nine o'clock and Hanna and Caleb are slowly nibbling on appetizers and sipping cocktails with a group of their old high school friends at Bar Louie. It's a Thursday night and the restaurant is pretty crowded. "All you do is fight" is all she can offer him. They both know it's true, so they both stay quiet for a few minutes.

"Han, it's really not that simple. We've been together for almost a year now and to break up over something this stupid seems petty." He swallows and takes a sip from his Long Island iced tea. He thumbs the condensation on his drink for a moment and looks up at the blonde.

"I'm just saying-"

"I know what you're saying." He cuts her off. "Believe me, I do." If she's being honest, she knows that she's prompting him like this for her own selfish reasons, and if he's being honest, he knows exactly what she's doing.

A song from the _Empire s_ oundtrack is playing through the speakers and Hanna finds herself nodding to the beat. She finally shrugs and downs the rest of her berry mojito and gestures to the waitress to bring her another one. One more drink later for the both of them and they've peeled off from their friend group and are in a booth together sitting on the same side. The alcohol has started to go to Hanna's head, but she's not drunk yet.

"Where does she think you are?" Hanna's cheeks are flushed and as much as it angers her to talk about Miranda when she's sober, the edge is lifted a little bit when she's tipsy.

"With friends," he smiles. "... _It's not a lie"_ he adds quickly.

"Yeah, friends that you used to _sleep with_." Hanna focuses her gaze on him and squints her eyes.

"Well, it would appear that that part of my life is over." He tilts his glass to her.

"Is it?" She says and they both know they're flirting. Even though they're both only home for the summer, it feels like not much has changed between the two in the two years since their high school graduation. In the beginning of their junior year, the two had casually started hooking up and by January of the following year, she had lost her virginity to him. She wouldn't call it love between the two of them, but the chemistry was still undeniable to this day. A year and a half later, Caleb ended up at Penn State for school, and Hanna a couple hours south at the University of Maryland. They stayed close over the first few breaks, but inevitably as the time and distance between them increased, their communication decreased. Add his current girlfriend, Miranda Collins, to the situation, and the tension between the two rose to an all time high the summer after their freshman year, but on this past winter break, the pair became close again.

"But seriously, I don't get what her problem is," Hanna begins slurring her words, but he knows what comes out of her mouth next will be a valid point. "It's like she doesn't want you to have friends. She doesn't want you to go out without her, but whenever you invite her somewhere, she acts like a fucking bitch." Hanna's cheeks are slightly red from her rant, but she still continues. She see's him wince at her choice of words to describe Miranda. "Come on, I know you saw the way she was treating me at Noel's party last week."

"You're right." Is all he says.

"Like why does she even act like that? I try to be nice, but..." Hanna presses.

"Hanna, she's probably jealous of you." He tries to reason with her.

"Jealous?" She repeats the word after him and rolls her eyes.

"I mean..." He trails off and sort of eyes her body without even realizing she's doing it. Her cheeks flush a little bit more and she's appreciative for the dim lighting in the restaurant, as it masks her embarrassment pretty well.

"You mean _what?"_ She presses.

"I don't know...you were a lot of firsts for me. And she knows that." He finally gives in to her. "I also think she re-" His clouded mind struggles to find the word that he's looking for, and for a brief moment, he stops talking. "I also think she _resents_ you for it."

"Does she know I'm here?"

"No," he says with defeat in his voice.

Hanna bites her lip, deep in concentration. It's clear she's having a fierce internal debate. After a moment she pulls out a silver iPhone 6 from her bag and hesitantly opens the "Uber" app. "You know what? I should go."

"I'll go too." He pipes up a little too quickly, and she's not sure whether he means back _with her_ , back to _his place_ , back to _Miranda's place_ , or back to _their group of friends who are still laughing at the bar._

"No, no, no" she says quickly and smiles at him, but he can tell that it hurts her a little to do this. "You stay. Have a good night."

He swallows and nods. "Bye Han."

"Bye Caleb."

 _Please review_


	2. Chapter 2

_If you haven't listened to "Fuck you Better" by Neon Hitch, I really would suggest it before continuing reading. Please, please, please review! The response to chapter 1 has been amazing, and it's motivating me to write. Also for the person who asked about "Dirty Little Secret," I will be continuing that._

The silence that ensues is almost louder than music would be, but neither Caleb nor Miranda dares to touch the 'on' button on the radio in Caleb's Jeep. They're on their way to Sean Ackard - one of Caleb's friends from his old high school soccer team's - party. The two had had a minor disagreement over the time that they were supposed to leave before actually making their way to the party, and although Caleb had backed down and let Miranda have her way, the tension was still evident.

It's 10:30 when they actually make it to Sean's, and Miranda makes a beeline to her friends immediately She ignores Caleb's harmless line of questions asking where she's going. He's so frustrated at this point with everything that's happened up to this point, but decides it's not worth it to follow her. His eyes trail her as she makes her way into the kitchen, but somewhere along the way he's found Hanna and he really wants to talk to her about whatever happened between them last night.

"Hey you," he says and smiling at her is probably the most genuine gesture that he's made all day.

"Hey," she smiles back and it's nice and slow. He can tell she's just a little bit high. She's sitting on an expensive looking arm chair and he swallows the lump in his throat as he takes the seat across from her. Hanna crosses her left leg over her right and the dress that she's wearing is barely skimming her thighs and is struggling to keep her covered.

He shakes off the thought of her and begins: "I wanted to apologize for last night...I was drunk and I said some things that I probably shouldn't have and it was wrong."

"No, no, no" she shakes her head profusely. "That was my fault. I shouldn't have talked about her that way. I was wrong."

 _But you weren't_ is what he really wants to say, but he stops himself.

"Well now that we got that out of the way..." He laughs slightly. "How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm really good." She says and they just _talk_ for a few minutes. With Hanna it's so easy to just say whatever he's feeling and not have to worry about walking on eggshells to please her.

"-yeah, I haven't decided yet-" Hanna stops abruptly when Miranda rudely interrupts. "Hanna," she smiles tightly. " _How did I just know that if I wanted to find him, all I had to do was look for you?_ " She says and shakes her head.

All Hanna can do is sigh. "Hey Miranda," she says and tries to sound genuine about it. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Hanna is the first to make a move, "I should probably just go." She smiles tightly.

"No," and "Okay," are both shot out at the same time; Caleb's in an almost defensive manor and Miranda's accusatory.

"No, _I'll just go_." Miranda says shaking her head and laughing. "I've been so stupid this whole time." She says and storms off.

Caleb struggles internally on whether to follow her or not, but after a moment his mouth forms a tight line and he shrugs. "Fuck it. I'm gonna get a beer. Want something?"

"I'll just come with you," Hanna's phrase comes out like a question and it's probably because she's completely unsure of the last few minutes.

His strides are naturally long and she has to power walk on her five inch heels to keep up with him. She's nearly out of breath when they get to the kitchen. "Look," her voice competes with the music. "I don't know what I did, or what Miranda _thinks_ we did, but this is getting ridiculous."

Caleb takes a slow swig of beer before placing the glass bottle back on the counter. "I wanna say it's jealously, but I don't even know that for sure." He shakes his head.

Hanna stops and almost feels bad for Miranda's delusion. She is a _beautiful girl._ Hanna would be lying if she said some days she didn't envy her petite features. Honestly, it had felt like a slap in the face when Caleb told Hanna that he was dating her. She'd always thought Caleb liked having an ass or tits or curves or _something_ to grab onto in bed, and it really played on the issues she had with her body when she found out he was with Miranda.

"Jealous?" Hanna snaps back to reality and the word 'jealous' comes out in a tone that's almost inaudible.

"I don't know _what_ she thinks," he snaps at her. "I don't fucking know."

Hanna laughs bitterly. "You know what? I need another hit. I'll be outside."

He follows behind Hanna past the sliding glass doors that lead outside and stands a few feet behind her. He folds his arms in front of his chest as she takes a joint out of her small purse and lights it. All he does is watch her from behind for a few moments before taking a few steps next to and leaning on the banister of the deck. It's a pretty warm night outside, but there is a light breeze that tickles his face.

"You want some?" She passes the joint to him and he takes a hit, holding the smoke in for a few moments before blowing the thick white cloud out through slightly parted lips. They pass the blunt back and forth for a few minutes and they smoke until it becomes a roach. She sighs lightly, putting the chard paper into her bag. "What are we doing?" She asks lightly.

"Can we just _not_ think for once?" He pleads

She swallows and shakes her head in accordance.

"Han, I miss you like hell." He looks to her and although his eyes are slightly red, she can see the sincerity in them.

"What about Miranda?" She feels she had to ask.

He snorts and shakes his head briefly. "It's been over for a long time."

"Okay," she shrugs


	3. Chapter 3

_There's a few flashbacks in this chapter - they are noted with italics. Please review :)_

He knows he shouldn't be driving. He had tried to justify it in his head before taking the wheel, but he knew he couldn't. He'd only had a few sips of beer and five or six hits of marijuana - but even if he hadn't - the idea of seeing Hanna flushed and naked in his bed again for the first time in a year was more than enough to call for distracted driving.

When the two had first begun hooking up, everyone around them had thought the pairing was strange. But Hanna and Caleb both knew they had more in common than met the eye: They both put up strong facades at school to hide their insecurities. They both had a sensitive side that from the outside looked like it didn't exist. But most of all, they both just wanted to feel _alive_. Caleb was everything that her mom had ever warned her about in men. Hanna was exactly the type of girl that he wanted to stick it to. But desire outweighed differences for the two.

As they pull into the upscale apartment complex, Hanna remembers the details he initially told her of why he lived in a luxury condo by himself at seventeen. _They're on his bed with a few boxes of Chinese takeout beside them and she's wearing one of his white Calvin Klein undershirts. "How can you afford this?" She asks while chewing on a dumpling. She notices the pregnant pause and immediately backs off. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry it's just-" He cuts her off, "No, it's okay." He twirls some Lo mein between a pair of chopsticks and continues. "My mom lives in California, but I wanted to stay here to finish school, so here I am." He says with a finality that prompts her to not ask about it again. A few months later, he'd opened up to her and told her of his childhood in foster care, moving from home to home and city to city. But after reconnecting with his birth mother, Claudia, she'd asked him to live with her - he declined so he could finish school in Rosewood. He figured that the new car, apartment, and credit cards were 17 years worth of belated birthday presents and Christmas gifts._

His arm naturally falls around her waist and she can't help the wave of nervousness that overcomes her as she follows him into the apartment. The last time that she'd been here was one vacation when they were both home from school and Caleb told her that he was seeing someone. _"What's taking you so long?' Hanna asks, throwing both the key to his door and the chips and salsa they'd just purchased on the island. Caleb puts the six packs of beer he's holding down on the countertop too and raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" He asks and is immediately silenced as she pulls her white tee shirt off. "We only have like twenty minutes until people get here." He freezes. "Han, the reason I asked you to come early is because I had to tell you something." His eyes linger on her lace clad chest a little too long for a man in a relationship. "Oh my god." She says and he feels the second hand mortification. "This has to stop, Han. I'm seeing someone now." She shrivels down into the couch, and her shoulders slump. "How long." Comes out in a monotone voice. "A few weeks, but it's just starting to get serious." He scratches the back of his neck, his discomfort clear. "But last week, we..." She can't even say it. "I'm so stupid, oh my God, I'm so stupid"_ Hanna shudders as she snaps out of her flashback.

"Do you have, like, vodka?" She shudders.

His mouth forms a line and his shoulders fall a little bit. " _Baby,"_ he starts, but wonders idly if the term is a little too much too soon. I don't want you to have to drink to do this. We don't have to do this." He tries to reassure her.

"No, I want to," she says with defiance clear in her voice and she meets his gaze. His voice gets caught in his throat with her eye contact. Him and Miranda aren't even technically broken up and he's already in another girl's pants. If Hanna weren't Hanna, he would've felt like a sleaze.

She has his full attention when she begins to strip. He folds his arms over his chest and leans back against the countertop, watching the blondes clothes slip to the floor for him. _"_ _Are you just gonna watch?" Hanna bends down to unbuckle the strap of her steep heel to pull it off. "No," he groans, but doesn't make an effort to stop her movements, "leave them on." "Okay," she says slowly and reaches behind her back to unzip her dress. The silk pools at the floor around her, and as she steps out of the fabric she says, "thanks for coming with me by the way."_ For weeks, Hanna dreaded the looming wedding of her father, Tom, to his fiancé, Isabelle. She figured if she didn't talk about it, or have a date for it, it wouldn't become a reality. Eventually, she finally gave in, and two weeks before the couples May wedding date, she asked Caleb to accompany her. Even though they hadn't seen each other since their Spring Break weeks overlapped in March, Caleb was more than happy to do her the favor. _He takes a few steps toward her until they're standing toe to five-inch-heal-clad-toe. Even in stilettos, he still has two - no, three - inches on her. He cups the globes of her ass and exhales slowly through his nose as he massages them. "I could think of a few ways you could thank me." He knows the words are so fucked up as they come out - he knows he's just begun a relationship with a really_ sweet, _really_ innocent _girl from a few towns over, but he knows tonight will be the last time he does this with Hanna._

When he snaps out of his flashback, Hanna is naked in front of him. The fantasies he'd been having for the past couple months didn't do her justice. She'd put on a little weight from school, but if anything, she'd only gotten _thicker._

He bites his lip and it's so hard that he's sure he's going to draw blood. His primal urges are surfacing and he's losing his battle with willpower. Caleb's afraid that if he doesn't channel this immense frustration into himself, he'll channel it into Hanna.

"Hey," she lulls and uses her thumb to tug his bottom lip out from between his teeth. "Are _you_ sure?"

 _Just how long he's waited for this is disguised in a casual nod._

 _**Sorry this chapter took forever to upload, I had to tweak it and rework it because I wasn't quite happy with it. But please review_


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